The political action committee of L-3 Communications — one of the two contractors behind the full-body scanning machines now used in more than 60 U.S. airports — has doled out more political cash this election cycle than at any other time, the Center for Responsive Politics has found.

The L-3 Communications PAC contributed $466,300 to federal candidates and committees between January 2009 and Oct. 13, the date of the most recent campaign finance reports, the Center’s research shows. That’s 1.5 percent more than what the PAC gave during the 2008 election cycle — and a 26 percent increase above the group’s 2006 cycle contributions, the Center has found.

As of mid-October, the L-3 Communications PAC also still had $454,400 cash on hand, so the PAC’s giving for the cycle could be even higher. It might have used some of this cash on hand to make additional contributions to politicians before the election, or it could use portions of it to further contribute to politicians through the end of December. The group’s “post-general” campaign finance report covering Oct. 13 through Nov. 22 is due to the Federal Election Commission on Dec. 2. Its final report of the 2010 election cycle, its 2010 “year end” report is due Jan. 31.

Moreover, often times, the company’s PAC contributions have lined the campaign coffers of the men whose hands control the levers of power and purse strings within the world of defense and homeland security appropriations — the life blood of a company which has received billions in federal contracts over the years.

Some of the most powerful members of each of these committees have also been among the top beneficiaries of the L-3 Communications PAC: Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has collected $9,000 from the L-3 Communications PAC this cycle, and Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the chairman of the House’s Defense Appropriations subcommittee, received $8,500 — including $2,000 in September.

Here is a table showing the top 15 House members to receive money from defense contractor L-3 Communications this cycle, along with the amount and which committees each person sits on.

Name

Committee Assignments

Total

Bill Young (R-Fla.)

Approps

$10,000

Steve Israel (D-N.Y.)

Approps

$10,000

Chet Edwards (D-Texas)

Approps & Budget

$10,000

Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas)

Armed Services

$10,000

Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.)

Armed Services

$10,000

Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.)

Armed Services & Homeland Security

$10,000

Jim Matheson (D-Utah)

Energy/Commerce & Science

$10,000

Ralph Hall (R-Texas)

Energy/Commerce & Science

$10,000

Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.)

Approps & Natural Resources

$9,500

Ike Skelton (D-Mo.)

Armed Services

$9,000

Jim Marshall (D-Ga.)

Armed Services & Ag

$9,000

Norm Dicks (D-Wash.)

Approps

$8,500

Frank Kratovil (D-Md.)

Armed Services, Ag & Natural Resources

$8,500

Jeff Miller (R-Fla.)

Armed Services & Veterans Affairs

$8,000

Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.)

Homeland Security

$8,000

Political action committees are allowed to give $5,000 per year to federal candidates for a total of $10,000 per cycle. In addition to the eight House members to whom the L-3 Communications PAC contributed the legal maximum, the PAC “maxed out” to just one senator: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Notably, in the final weeks of the midterm elections, the top beneficiary the company’s financial largesse was Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, who received $3,000 on Oct. 5.

As OpenSecrets Blog reported Tuesday, a handful of federal lawmakers have personal stakes in the company’s financial success. Of the eight members of Congress who reported possessing L-3 Communications stock in 2009, two have also collected campaign contributions this cycle.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) — whose wife, Teresa Heinz, holds between $500,000 and $1 million in L-3 Communication stock according to the most recent federal personal financial disclosures — collected $5,000 from the L-3 Communications PAC this cycle.

The government’s use of full-body scanners has broadened since the “underwear bomber’s” failed terrorism attempt last Christmas. Days later, L-3 Communications was awarded a $165 million contract for the machines, and another company, RapiScan, was also awarded a $173 million contract.

Both companies have seen significant jumps in their federal lobbying expenses since just a few years ago, and both are employing officials with well-heeled government connections, as OpenSecrets Blog previously reported.

For instance, RapiScan utilizes the services of Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland Security under Republican President George W. Bush. And former Republican Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-N.Y.) and Linda Daschle, the wife of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), are both actively lobbying for L-3 Communications.

RapiScan does not operate a political action committee, nor did any members of Congress report owning stock in that company in 2009.

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